In my efforts to be a more present, involved mother in OM's life, I've made a few discoveries. Despite my best intentions, it's hard to change who I am at the core. My three biggest areas of improvement (as Woody would put it) are my cleanliness issues, control-freak issues, and taking things way too seriously issues.
Allowing OM free access to markers, pens, stamps, paints etc. is, well, messy. It's hard for me to encourage them to create when I don't want them to get stuff everywhere. But it is so cool when I do b/c Owen, my sensitive, doesn't like to get down-&-dirty kid, put his whole hand in some foam paint today and totally dug it. Interestingly, baby sis wasn't that into it. Then we moved on to coloring the sliding glass door and Owen rubbed his hands all over it and seemed to really enjoy letting go of his own cleanliness issues:) I of course washed their hands thoroughly when we finished but I'm hoping we can all keep feeling free and intensify our exploration, despite the mess.
Regarding my control-freak issues, I feel like I'm always telling them how to do stuff instead of letting them figure it out. After baby sis continuously dips her paint brush into the water instead of the water colors I always feel like I need to tell her the "right" way to do it. So, who cares? She wants to "paint" with just water, more power to her!
OMG, the last one, MRS. SERIOUS, is bad. Considering I married a goof-ball husband and have two hilariously entertaining kids, you'd think I'd relax. But maybe b/c I'm the mama and feel obligated to worry about every absurd thing, I forget to laugh sometimes.
BUT, I'm happy to say I'm working on all of it and hopefully OM will grow up to one day say their childhood was filled with joy and happiness (& creativity) and they love their mama to the moon and back (as Owen puts it:)
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